Hebe
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "youth" or "prime of life".
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the first name Hebe. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hebe today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hebe births was 2016 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hebe. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Hebe with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
117
~ 1 in 2,929,524 Americans
Peak year
2016
19 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2022 SSA rank
#12,723
Tracked since 1917
Census
Hebe in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 283 people with the first name Hebe, which placed it at #30,644 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#30,644
National first-name rank
People counted
283
283 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
45.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hebe
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Hebe is Hispanic at 45.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (38.9%) and White (14.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Hebe described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Hebe at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino45.2% · 128
- Asian and Pacific Islander38.9% · 110
- White14.5% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2
- Two or more races0.7% · 2
Popularity
Hebe: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hebe from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 99 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hebe by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Hebe during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hebes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Hebe
The name Hebe is of Greek origin, derived from the ancient Greek word "hebe" which means "youth" or "prime of life." It dates back to ancient Greek mythology, where Hebe was the goddess of youth, the daughter of Zeus and Hera.
In Greek mythology, Hebe was the cupbearer of the gods, serving them ambrosia and nectar, the drinks that granted immortality. She was depicted as a beautiful and radiant young woman, symbolizing eternal youth and renewal. Her name was often invoked in ceremonies and rituals honoring youth and vitality.
The earliest recorded use of the name Hebe can be found in ancient Greek literature, such as the works of Homer and Hesiod, dating back to the 8th century BCE. The name was popular among the ancient Greeks, who revered youth and beauty.
One of the earliest known individuals named Hebe was Hebe of Argos, a Greek priestess and teacher who lived in the 4th century BCE. She was renowned for her wisdom and her dedication to the cult of Hera, the goddess of marriage and childbirth.
In the 16th century, the Italian Renaissance painter Raphael depicted Hebe in his famous fresco "The Triumph of Galatea" in the Villa Farnesina in Rome. This work of art helped to popularize the name among the European nobility and upper classes.
Another notable Hebe in history was Hebe Tanner (1795-1874), an English novelist and writer who authored several popular novels and travelogues in the 19th century. Her works depicted the social customs and manners of her time.
In the world of classical music, Hebe Haworth (1876-1964) was a renowned English contralto and teacher who performed in many operas and concerts in the early 20th century. She was particularly admired for her interpretations of the works of Handel and Purcell.
Hebe Camargo (1913-2012) was a Brazilian actress and dancer who rose to fame in the 1930s and 1940s. She was known for her sensual and daring performances, which challenged the social norms of the time.
Finally, Hebe Tien (born 1974) is a Taiwanese singer and actress who has had a successful career in both the music and film industries since the 1990s. She is known for her powerful vocals and her ability to tackle diverse roles in television and film.
People
Hebe + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hebe as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hebe: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hebe?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 117 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hebe going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,929,524 US residents.
Is Hebe a common name?
We classify Hebe as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 123 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hebe most popular?
The single biggest year for Hebe was 2016, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hebe is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Hebe in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 283 people with the name Hebe, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #30,644 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Hebe in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Hebe?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Hebe leans strongly female. 269 people counted with this name were female (98.5%), compared with 4 male bearers (1.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Hebe?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Hebe is Hispanic at 45.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (38.9%) and White (14.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Hebe most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Hebe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.2% (128 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Hebe in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hebe a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hebe in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Hebe still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hebe in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Hebe can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Hebe?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.